Okay, so I know we have a bit of winter to go before spring is officially here, but it is 57 degrees and sunny outside, and we are very happy! This has been a cold winter for us. Generally, our winters are mild, and we have many days in the 50's mixed in with the colder days. Since December, however, it has been consistently cold, and we are ready to play!

As I type, it is lunchtime, and we have already spent several hours enjoying the weather (Oreo the puppy is enjoying the nice temperatures, too). My Favorite Boy doesn't have a basketball game today, so we plan to spend as much time as possible outside. We may even pretend it's summer and go get some ice cream. I know we'll get another blast or two of winter, so we better enjoy it while we can!

ETA: The temps made it into the mid-SIXTIES! Spring, please come soon!

Labels: Family and Friends, Fun

One year ago today, I blogged about starting a new challenge (you can read the post HERE). I announced to the world that I was going to start running by following a Couch to 5K plan, and I set my sights on the Disney Princess Half-Marathon.

One month from today, I will be running at Disney World! I am so excited that I stuck with my goal, and I can't wait to cross the finish line (I am really looking forward to running inside Magic Kingdom as well).

We've been having bad weather (does the snow realize it's not supposed to visit Tennessee so much?), so I've had to do some runs on the treadmill. Thankfully, I've been able to do my long runs outside. Next week, I'll do twelve miles. That seemed SO far one year ago today!

Labels: Me, Running

It's time for the monthly Nightstand carnival at 5 Minutes for Books. My reading has slowed down over the last few months, but I am hoping to pick up the pace in the coming weeks. These books are in my current pile:

Parenting by The Book by John Rosemond
Another Dawn by Kathryn Cushman
Promises to Keep by Ann Tatlock
Logged On and Tuned Out by Vicki Courtney
The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin

I hope to finish all of these by the next carnival. To see the lists of others, be sure to visit 5 Minutes for Books today!

Labels: Books

My Favorite Boy turned nine on Saturday! I don't know how that is possible. He spent the weekend celebrating with family and friends. On Friday night, he partied with his buddies (and sister) at Chuck-E-Cheese. Everyone had a fun time.

On Saturday, both sets of grandparents came up for his basketball game and dinner. After a victory, we all headed home for soup, sandwiches, cake and presents.

My Favorite Boy will be able to stretch his birthday out for one more day. I was supposed to take treats to school on Friday, but we had another snow day. I plan to arrive at lunch tomorrow with Krispy Kreme donuts. This will cap off the celebration for another year. I don't even want to think about that; he'll begin the double-digit years!

Labels: Family and Friends, My Favorite Boy

On our final day at Disney World, we headed to Animal Kingdom.

Although Animal Kingdom is our least favorite of the four parks, Expedition Everest is one of the kids' favorite rides. As soon as the rope dropped, we headed straight to Asia, and rode EE three times in a row.

At Everest, we met up with some of our friends from home. We hadn't seen this family since Tuesday, and the kids were glad to find each other. We decided to stick together throughout the morning, and we headed to Triceratop Spin, Primeval Whirl, and It's Tough to Be a Bug first. We also stopped for a chat with Pooh and Eeyore.

I have to give Dr. B another shout out. My kids and I were heading to the airport in the afternoon, and I was not looking forward to the Kali River Rapids because I didn't want to get soaked before the flight home. Dr. B took the big kids on the rapids while the moms stayed dry. What a gentleman! They rode twice, and all of them were drenched.

We stayed together for the Safari and for lunch, and then we said our good-byes. Then, my kids and I decided to visit some characters. It was Mickey's birthday (November 18th), so we headed to see him. On the way, we ran into Lilo and Stitch.

Happy Birthday, Mickey! He was wearing his warm Christmas sweater, even though it was in the 80s.

We couldn't leave without riding Everest again, so we trekked back to the mountain. On the way, we ran into DiVine. She walked out of the woods right in front of us. So cool. (That is a person on stilts.)

We also stopped to see some characters (Flik and Meeko) that we hadn't seen before.

We were all smiles before our last ride on Everest. Afterwards, I felt my age (my head and stomach just couldn't handle it). I guess four times was one time too many.

Alas, all good Disney trips must come to an end. We finished up the day with a few more fun photos and then headed to the airport.


Although we were sad to leave, we were excited to fly home with some of our friends. I mentioned in my first Disney post that my Best Girl is all about bunny ears right now. Poor S was her victim while at the airport.

We had a magical week, and we are ready for more! Disney World is a special place for our family, and we are so thankful for these trips!

Labels: disney

I started blogging about our November Disney trip last month, but once Christmas started, I never finished. (If you want to read about the beginning of the trip, click the Disney category in my sidebar.) I planned to combine the last two days, but I just can't do it. I know I share too many details about our trips, but I want to remember them. At least there will only be two more posts (that is, until spring break when we go back; yes, we're crazy).

On our second day at Magic Kingdom, we decided to make a list of our favorites and hit them in the morning before taking an afternoon break. We started with Pooh and Peter Pan in Fantasyland and then headed to Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain. On the way to Frontierland, we ran into this handsome duck.

After getting completely soaked (again) on Splash Mountain, we visited Toontown one more time (it's closing in February) and then boarded the monorail for brunch with Alice, the Mad Hatter, Pooh, Tigger, and Mary Poppins at the Grand Floridian. The Mad Hatter stole the show. He was hilarious, and he kept my Favorite Boy in stitches by making comments about the characters who had signed his autograph book. This was one of the most fun character experiences of the week!

We went back to the park for another ride on Space Mountain and to visit the Monster's Inc. Laugh Floor. While in Tomorrowland, we ran into PUSH, the talking trash can. He told some funny jokes and sang "Rocky Top" for us. This was a fun treat.

After we left the Laugh Floor, we were able to meet up with our friends from home. We live two doors down from each other, and our kids are great friends (the adults are great friends, too). It was really fun to be at Disney together. We enjoyed the Snow White ride and then took turns trying to pull the sword out of the stone. The kids were very happy when they were successful on a few of their attempts.

After a short break, the kids and I returned in the late afternoon for a few more rides, the Electrical Parade, and the fireworks.

We were able to meet up with our friends again as soon as we walked in. Our friends' boys got to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the flag lowering ceremony, and this was so neat (why don't I have pictures???). Then, we headed to Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain together.

We parted ways so my Best Girl and I could see the Castle Lighting Show (so magical). My Favorite Boy would probably say the show is for girls, but he loved it, too.

Next, we met up with some more friends from home to watch the parade and fireworks. It was SO fun to have friends there! Mrs. Debbie (my dear college friend) was cool enough to bring glow sticks. My kids loved playing with two-year-old Sam as we waited for the entertainment. I loved watching Sam's face as the characters went by during the parade (again, why don't I have pictures of this???).

We had a wonderful day in the Magic Kingdom (is there any other kind?). Stay tuned for our final day: Animal Kingdom!

Labels: disney

After FOUR snow days, my kids are off to school today. In some ways, going today is almost pointless since they will be off Monday as well. However, I am glad to have the opportunity to go to the grocery store alone and to clean up the mess that has accumulated over the past four days.

The kids didn't really want to go back to school, but I know they will enjoy the interaction with their friends. By day number four, we were all getting a little stir crazy. It's funny how we have plenty to keep us busy during the summer, but we struggle with multiple days off in January. I guess temperatures in the 20's have something to do with that. It also throws us off our routine, and I am all about routine!

Happy Friday!

Labels: Family and Friends, Me

My mom's party was the main attraction of our weekend, but the added bonus was a visit from my brother and my youngest nephew. They live in New Mexico, so we only see them a few times a year. Since my mom wasn't supposed to know they were here, we got to have them to ourselves Friday night and Saturday during the day. My kids were so excited to see this little guy.

My nephew has a dog, so I was surprised by his reaction to Oreo. He wasn't too sure about her at first.

Every now and then, however, he would enjoy playing with her.

We are so glad we got to spend time with my brother and nephew this weekend. We are looking forward to seeing the whole family this March!

Labels: Family and Friends, Fun

We had a very exciting weekend. My mom celebrated her 65th birthday on Saturday, and my dad did a wonderful job of surprising her with a party. He had reserved a restaurant and invited friends and family members. My mom was completely shocked, especially when she realized that my brother and his youngest son had flown in from New Mexico for the event.

Here are my mom and dad. After having my mom's support at many ceremonies throughout his career, I know he enjoyed planning something where she could be in the spotlight.

I was excited to take some family shots:

The Baseballs and Bows Crew

Mother and Daughter

Mother and Son

Sister and Brother

Of course, this little guy, my youngest nephew, captured much of the attention.

He really enjoyed playing with his food.

By the end of the meal, he had moved all his food from his plate to this nice little pile. I think he has a future as an organizer. It was so cute!

My kids enjoyed the party, and they also got a lesson in restaurant management. Miss Tammy even showed them how to enter the orders into the computer.

We had a fabulous weekend that was filled with family and fun. I know my mom appreciated it. Happy Birthday, Grammy!

Labels: Family and Friends, Fun